The death of Queen Elizabeth I | Tudor stuff: Tudor history from the heart of England Tudor stuff: Tudor history from the heart of England tis done, tis past: and yet it is not Feeds: November 3, 2009 by Victoria Skerrett In the spring of 1603, Elizabeth had been Queen for 44 years, and it was clear she would die without an heir. Robert Devereux (1566-1601) had been executed on Tower Green on 25th February 1601, and this appears to have had a huge impact on Elizabeth who is reported to have missed him a great deal. Some writers say she may have feared she was losing her hold on state affairs. Elizabeth must have felt very much alone as many of the men she had loved, and who had shared her life, had gone. March 1603 – the Queen is fading In March 1603 Elizabeth was described as being unwell and seemed depressed. She took up residence in one of her favourite palaces – Richmond – close to the River Thames.

She refused to allow herself to be examined, and she refused take to her bed – standing for hours on end. As her condition deteriorated her ladies-in-waiting spread cushions on the floor, and Elizabeth eventually lay down on them. The painting shown below depicts this scene beautifully. Elizabeth lay on the floor for nearly four days – mostly without speaking. The death of Queen Elizabeth 1st : Paul Delaroche (1828) She grew weaker and weaker until her servants insisted on making her more comfortable in her bed. Elizabeth’s Councillors gathered around her bed, and it is said that gentle music was played to soothe her. Cause of death? Elizabeth had not named yet named a successor, but she made a sign to Robert Cecil which he took to be an indication that she wished James to succeed her to the throne. Death finally came on 24 March 1603, and she is said to have yielded ‘mildly like a lamb, easily like a ripe apple from the tree’. Elizabeth was buried without post mortem so the cause of her death remains unknown.

She is generally believed to have died of blood poisoning, possibly caused by her white make-up – ceruse – a mixture of white lead and vinegar; the lead in the make up being highly poisonous. It is also possible that she simply died of old age. At her funeral on 28 April, the coffin was taken to Westminster Abbey on a hearse drawn by four horses hung with black velvet Elizabeth’s body was embalmed and laid in state in a lead coffin at Whitehall – having been carried from Richmond to Whitehall at night on a barge lit with torches. On the day of her funeral on 28 April the coffin was taken to Westminster Abbey on a hearse drawn by four horses robed in black velvet.

In the words of the chronicler John Stow: “Westminster was surcharged with multitudes of all sorts of people in their streets, houses, windows, leads and gutters, that came out to see the obsequy, and when they beheld her statue lying upon the coffin, there was such a general sighing, groaning and weeping as the like hath not been seen or known in the memory of man” [picapp src=”1/1/7/8/Westminster_Abbey_Announce_2f22.jpg?adImageId=7072527&imageId=5062899″ width=”500″ height=”356″ /] Over one thousand official mourners joined the funeral procession; and this crowd was swelled by the many Londoners who watched the procession go by. The coffin was covered with a purple velvet cloth, purple signifying royalty. The coffin was covered by a large canopy which was held by six Knights of the Realm. On top of the coffin was placed an effigy of Elizabeth, as she would have appeared dressed in the finest of clothes. The effigy was so life-like it made onlookers gasp.

The chief mourners were all dressed in black – in cloth which varied according to their rank. [picapp src=”e/f/9/7/Westminster_Abbey_Announce_c51b.jpg?adImageId=7072495&imageId=5062910″ width=”396″ height=”594″ align=”aligncenter” /] This long procession wound its way to Westminster Abbey where Elizabeth was first buried in the vault of her grandfather, King Henry VII. Her successor, James I, erected the large white marble monument to her memory in the north aisle of the Lady Chapel at a cost of £1485, and her body was moved to it in 1606. Elizabeth I was the last monarch buried in the Abbey to have a monument erected above her. Share this: Elizabeth I (1533–1603) Elizabeth I (1533–1603) Contributed by Mary Hill Cole Elizabeth I was queen of England from 1558 to 1603, and Virginia was named in honor of her.

Daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth Tudor became queen at the death of her married but childless half-sister Mary I. Elizabeth remained single, and her image as the "virgin queen" permeated the arts and politics of her reign, even as she used the possibility of marriage to shape foreign policy. Her reign saw the establishment of the Protestant Church of England in a form that has lasted for centuries. She faced a rebellion and plots in favor of her Catholic cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, whose flight to England and claims to its throne caused Elizabeth first to imprison and then to execute her. Elizabeth oversaw her navy's defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, a victory that marked a high point of English protestant and nationalistic fervor. In the 1580s, she encouraged Sir Walter Raleigh 's ventures to the New World, and even though his colonies at Roanoke failed, their brief existence enabled the English explorers to claim much of the eastern coast of North America as "Virginia." Elizabeth's love and patronage of plays, pageants, literature, and the fine arts was at the heart of the English Renaissance.

Elizabeth was famous for her linguistic skills, sharp wit and temper, educated mind, frugality, and political caution. In her speeches, civic processions, and travels around the kingdom, she cultivated her popularity with her subjects. Elizabeth died in 1603 and was succeeded by her cousin James VI of Scotland. MORE... In This Entry Early Years On September 7, 1533, Elizabeth Tudor was born a disappointment to all. Her mother, Anne Boleyn, had retired to Greenwich Palace to give birth, confident in her future as the mother of England's next king. Her optimistic father, Henry VIII, had shrugged off papal authority and become Supreme Head of a national church in large part because he wanted a legitimate male heir. The Catholic supporters of Henry's popular, but now discarded, first wife, Catherine of Aragon, saw the punishing hand of God in the arrival of another royal bastard; Protestant reformers joined the royal parents in hoping that the next child would be a healthy boy who would solidify the dynasty and new Church of England. Queen Elizabeth Named for her paternal grandmother, Elizabeth spent her early years away from her parents in a separate household shared with her elder half-sister, Mary Tudor.

Under the tutelage of the humanist scholar Roger Ascham, Elizabeth read philosophy and theology and learned Latin, French, Italian, and Greek, intellectual pursuits that complemented her domestic skills in embroidery, dancing, and playing the virginals (an early harpsichord). After Edward VI became king at the death of their father in 1547, she maintained cordial relations with her half-brother, whose Protestant views she shared. But during Mary's five years as England's first ruling queen, from 1553 to 1558, Elizabeth's life was often at risk. The 1554 revolt led by Sir Thomas Wyatt against Mary's Catholicism and her new Spanish husband, Philip of Spain (later King Philip II), resulted in Elizabeth's imprisonment in the Tower of London and then house arrest for her supposed participation in the plot. However, her strategies of politic silence, nominal religious conformity, convenient illnesses, and letters of loyalty enabled the vulnerable Elizabeth to survive and ascend the throne when Mary died childless on November 17, 1558.

Queen Elizabeth's first actions as queen were to appoint advisors, celebrate her coronation in Westminster Abbey on January 15, 1559, and call a session of Parliament. Sir William Cecil joined the Privy Council as Principal Secretary and later Lord Treasurer and he remained her close, trusted confidant until his death forty years later. Her other lifelong friend and councillor, always at the queen's side as her Master of the Horse, was Sir Robert Dudley, arguably the man Elizabeth loved most and might have married, had not the scandal from his wife's suspicious but probably accidental death in 1560 dissuaded the cautious queen. Dudley was so close to Elizabeth that in 1562 the ill queen wanted him to be Lord Protector of England should she die from smallpox, but neither the privy councillors nor her people approved of Dudley as protector or consort. When he died in 1588, Elizabeth carried with her "his last letter." Establishing the Church of England with the queen as its Supreme Governor was a task that occupied Elizabeth; her Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker; and Parliament until 1563.

The Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity, along with a new Book of Common Prayer and the Thirty-Nine Articles of religious instruction, established the special mixture of Protestant doctrine and Catholic ritual that, in the queen's view, settled the religious disputes of the English Reformation. Although this Elizabethan settlement, with its "via media," or middle way, gradually satisfied most Protestants, some so-called Puritans pushed for more reforms. Some Catholics tried to replace Elizabeth with her Catholic cousin, Mary Stuart, queen of Scotland. Under pressure from Protestant noblemen, Mary yielded her throne to her baby son, James VI, and fled Scotland in 1568 for the relative safety of England, where she remained under house arrest away from the English court and queen. Queen Elizabeth I From 1559 to 1582, Elizabeth conducted a series of courtships with the rulers of Sweden, France, and the Holy Roman Empire. These many marital negotiations dovetailed with her foreign policy, but religious stumbling blocks and her own reluctance essentially ended them all.

Addressing her first Parliament in 1559, Elizabeth stressed her desire to remain single while promising that God would take care of the succession: "[I]n the end this shall be for me sufficient: that a marble stone shall declare that a queen, having reigned such a time, lived and died a virgin." Seven years later, she told Parliament, "I say again I will marry as soon as I can conveniently, if God take not him away with whom I mind to marry, or myself … And I hope to have children; otherwise I would never marry." In 1576, Elizabeth still proclaimed the virtues of virginity: "[I]f I were a milkmaid with a pail on mine arm, whereby my private person might be little set by, I would not forsake that single state to match myself with the greatest monarch." Her portraits also stressed her virginity through images of her with unbound hair, pearls, pelicans, and sieves, even as they highlighted her regal authority to control the seas, the kingdom, and all life within it. Elizabeth never married, and the succession to the throne remained unsettled.

the Queene With no child to succeed her and no recognized heir, Elizabeth faced dangers at home and from abroad. In 1569, Catholic earls in the north of England revolted in favor of Mary Stuart, and, with poor timing, a year later Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth as a heretic and nullified her sovereign authority, calling on English Catholics to rise up against her rule. The highest peer of the realm, Thomas Howard, fourth duke of Norfolk, flouted Elizabeth's authority by pursuing a marriage to Mary Stuart that could have made him king of England; his treason led to his trial and execution in 1572. Elizabeth refused to meet Mary Stuart, who still claimed the English crown, and she turned to the spy network of Sir Francis Walsingham to ensure her own safety in the midst of additional plots against her in the 1580s. When Walsingham produced written proof of Mary's support of efforts to assassinate her, Elizabeth had her tried and, after the expected guilty verdict, executed. With the death of Mary Stuart came bolder Spanish efforts to overthrow Elizabeth.

Late in the summer of 1588, Philip II sent a flotilla of ships from Cádiz into the English Channel in an attempt to invade England. Elizabeth joined Robert Dudley at Tilbury to rally her troops, while her navy under the command of Lord Admiral Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake fought the Spanish until "Protestant winds" blew the invaders north past Scotland. In the victorious aftermath and celebration of their deliverance, the English turned Elizabeth's Accession Day, November 17, into a national holiday. Virginia) As tensions with Spain rose in the 1580s, Elizabeth encouraged Walter Raleigh's ventures to the New World. On March 24, 1584, the queen granted a license to Raleigh that empowered him to explore and colonize lands unclaimed by Christian kings; in return, she would receive one-fifth of the treasures there, and she allowed Raleigh to name the lands "Virginia." In typical fashion, Elizabeth gave him symbolic support but little money. An expedition funded by Raleigh reached Roanoke Island on July 13, 1584.

After a failed first attempt at establishing a colony in 1585–1586, John White landed at Roanoke in July 1587 with 115 settlers, and three weeks later White's granddaughter, the first English child born in the New World, was baptized Virginia Dare in honor of the queen. Even though the Roanoke Island colony was "lost" by 1590, it enabled the English explorers to claim as Virginia much of the eastern coast of North America. Later Years During the fifteen years after the Armada's defeat, challenges remained for Elizabeth. Her close advisors Dudley, Walsingham, and Sir Christopher Hatton, died; William Cecil, first baron Burghley, under the burden of age, shifted his duties to his son Robert Cecil; and James VI of Scotland attracted growing attention as the assumed but not accepted heir to the queen. Her young new favorite, Robert Devereux, second earl of Essex and Dudley's stepson, pressed for more rewards than Elizabeth felt he merited. When the proud, frustrated Essex tried to rouse Londoners in revolt, the queen had him executed in 1601.

I Even in her later years, Elizabeth continued to move her court on summer progresses, extended travels that fostered her popularity and policies during the hospitality and entertainments shared by the queen and her people. Until early 1603, Elizabeth remained in good health, but she deeply felt the death of her cousin, Catherine Howard, countess of Nottingham, and lost her will to live. Developing either bronchitis or pneumonia, she declined late in February, gradually stopped eating, and spent several days on the floor on pillows rather than return to bed. After indicating that James VI of Scotland would be the next ruler of England (as James I), she died on March 24, 1603, at Richmond Palace. Her body, probably embalmed, lay in state for public viewing at Whitehall Palace until her funeral and burial under the altar in Westminster Abbey on April 28, 1603. In 1606, James I had her body disinterred and reburied with her half-sister Mary Tudor in a side chapel where it is today.

Time Line September 7, 1533 - Elizabeth Tudor is born at Greenwich Palace, the daughter of King Henry VIII of England and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. January 28, 1547 - King Henry VIII of England dies and is succeeded by his youngest child, Edward VI. July 6, 1553 - King Edward VI of England dies, leaving the crown to his cousin Lady Jane Grey, who rules for only nine days. Edward's half-sister Mary Tudor raises an army, claims her throne, and imprisons Grey. Mary I is the first queen regnant of England. January 25, 1554 - Sir Thomas Wyatt leads a revolt to protest Queen Mary's intended marriage to Philip II of Spain and to put Princess Elizabeth on the throne. Elizabeth denies knowledge of Wyatt's plans, but the queen orders her to the Tower of London for questioning. May 19, 1554 - Imprisoned since January after being implicated in a plot against Queen Mary, Princess Elizabeth leaves the Tower of London for house arrest at Woodstock.

November 17, 1558 - Queen Mary I of England dies, leaving the crown to her half-sister Elizabeth. January 15, 1559 - Elizabeth I is crowned queen of England at Westminster Abbey. September 8, 1560 - Sir Robert Dudley's wife, Amy Robsart, dies from a fall down the stairs at a friend's home in Oxfordshire, fueling rumors that Dudley and Elizabeth conspired to kill her in order to marry. An inquest determines that there was no foul play. June 1562 - Elizabeth I, queen of England, and her cousin Mary, queen of Scotland, plan to meet in York, but the diplomatic fallout of religious conflict in France causes Elizabeth to cancel the visit. The two queens never meet. October 1562 - Elizabeth I, queen of England, contracts smallpox but suffers few scars. The Privy Council refuses her desire that Sir Robert Dudley be named Lord Protector in case of her death.

September 29, 1564 - Sir Robert Dudley becomes the first earl of Leicester, a title that Elizabeth I, queen of England, hopes will enhance his status as a potential match for the widowed Mary, queen of Scotland. July 29, 1565 - Mary, Queen of Scots, marries her first cousin Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, of England. Their relationship quickly collapses. March 9, 1566 - David Rizzio, the Italian private secretary of Mary, queen of Scotland, is murdered by a group of Protestant noblemen while at dinner with the queen, who is six months pregnant. The queen's king consort, Henry Stuart, lord Darnley, is later implicated in the plot. June 19, 1566 - James Stuart is born at Edinburgh Castle, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. July 24, 1567 - Mary, Queen of Scots, abdicates the throne in favor of her thirteen-month-old son, who is now known as James VI.

1568–1587 - Mary Stuart, former queen of Scotland and cousin to Queen Elizabeth I, is held under house arrest in north-central England in the custody of loyal courtiers, including George Talbot, sixth earl of Shrewsbury and his wife Elizabeth, countess of Hardwick. May 16, 1568 - Mary Stuart flees Scotland for England, where she seeks safety and English support to regain her crown. Elizabeth refuses to meet with her because Mary has not accepted Elizabeth's legitimacy as queen. November 1569 - Thomas Percy, seventh earl of Northumberland, and Charles Neville, sixth earl of Westmoreland, lead a failed revolt in northern England against Queen Elizabeth. They oppose her Protestant policies and her reliance upon Sir William Cecil, and support Mary Stuart's claim to the English throne. April 27, 1570 - Pope Pius V excommunicates Queen Elizabeth of England in a belated attempt to support the revolt led by Thomas Percy, seventh earl of Northumberland, and Charles Neville, sixth earl of Westmoreland.

June 2, 1572 - Thomas Howard, fourth duke of Norfolk, is tried and executed for his participation in the Ridolfi plot, an attempt to overthrow Queen Elizabeth of England in favor of her cousin Mary Stuart, whom Norfolk hopes to marry. July 9–27, 1575 - As part of her regular summer progress, Queen Elizabeth of England visits Robert Dudley, first earl of Leicester, for one of the most costly and extravagant festivals of her reign, at Kenilworth in Warwickshire. 1579–1582 - Queen Elizabeth of England negotiates her last prospect of marriage with Francis, duke of Anjou and Alençon, and son of the powerful Catherine de Medici. She affectionately nicknames him "frog," but declines to marry. Winter 1584–1585 - Queen Elizabeth I develops a strategy in her war against Spain. She will send an army to the Netherlands to fight on behalf of the Protestants, Sir Francis Drake to the West Indies to disrupt Spanish shipping, and colonists to Roanoke Island to establish a harbor for privateers.

February 8, 1587 - After being tried and convicted of plotting the death of Queen Elizabeth of England, Mary Stuart is beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire. August 1588 - The Spanish Armada engages with the English navy in the English Channel and, after losing several ships, returns to Spain. September 4, 1588 - Sir Robert Dudley, first earl of Leicester, Queen Elizabeth's Master of the Horse and longtime confidant, dies. August 4, 1589 - Sir William Cecil, first baron Burghley, dies. He was secretary of state under King Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I, and Lord Treasurer from 1572 until his death. February 25, 1601 - Robert Devereux, second earl of Essex, is beheaded for leading a failed rebellion against Queen Elizabeth in London. March 24, 1603 - Queen Elizabeth I dies at Richmond Palace and is succeeded by James VI of Scotland, who unites the thrones of England and Scotland, ruling the former as James I.

April 28, 1603 - The funeral of Queen Elizabeth is held at Westminster Abbey, where she is buried. Her successor, James I, in keeping with royal custom, does not attend the service. Categories Further Reading Doran, Susan and Thomas Freeman, eds. The Myth of Elizabeth. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Levin, Carole. "The Heart and Stomach of a King": Elizabeth I and the Politics of Sex and Power. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1994. Marcus, Leah S., Janel Mueller, and Mary Beth Rose, eds. Elizabeth I: Collected Works. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. Starkey, David and Susan Doran, eds. Elizabeth: The Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum. London, England: Chatto & Windus, 2003. Stump, Donald and Susan M. Felch. Elizabeth I and Her Age: A Norton Critical Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. Wormald, Jenny. Mary, Queen of Scots: Politics, Passion and a Kingdom Lost. New York: St.

Martin's Press, 2001. Cite This Entry APA Citation: BBC - Primary History - Famous People - Queen Elizabeth I Queen Elizabeth I Why is Queen Elizabeth famous? Who was Elizabeth I? Elizabeth was Queen of England, Ireland and Wales from 1558 to 1603. She gave her name to the 'Elizabethan Age'. It was an exciting time in English history. This was the age of William Shakespeare's plays, Francis Drake's voyages, and the sea battles against the Spanish Armada . When did she live? Elizabeth was the daughter of King Henry VIII. She was born in 1533. Her grandfather Henry VII was the first Tudor king of England. Elizabeth became Queen of England in 1558. She died in 1603. Why is Elizabeth famous? Elizabeth I ruled England alone. She did not marry. So although she was queen, England had no king. This was unusual at the time. The Elizabethan Age was an exciting part of English history. There were new ideas, and arguments about religion. There were wars with Spain. English explorers sailed to new lands. Her father and mother King Henry VIII Elizabeth's father was King Henry VIII.

Henry became king in 1509. Henry's first wife was Catherine of Aragon, a Spanish princess. In 1511, Catherine had a son, but the baby died. In 1516 Catherine and Henry had a daughter, Mary. More than anything else Henry wanted a son, to be king after him. Henry chooses a new wife Henry decided to divorce Queen Catherine. Divorce was against the rules of the Catholic Church, but Henry wanted a new wife. Anne Boleyn, one of the ladies at court , caught his eye. First Henry had been in love with her sister Mary. Now he wanted to marry Anne. Who was Anne Boleyn? Anne Boleyn was born sometime between 1501 and 1507. Her father Sir Thomas Boleyn owned Hever Castle in Kent. Her mother Elizabeth was a daughter of the Duke of Norfolk. Anne had lived abroad, and spoke French well. She was tall, dark and clever. In January 1533 King Henry and Anne were married secretly. Anne was already pregnant. The baby princess King Henry was delighted Anne was having a baby. He made big plans to celebrate the birth of a son.

On 7 September 1533 the baby was born at Greenwich Palace, near London. The baby was a girl. She was named Elizabeth. Henry was not pleased! He cancelled the celebrations. Elizabeth's childhood What happened to Elizabeth's mother? Anne Boleyn and her family had enemies. They told the King that Anne had been seeing other men. Henry decided Anne would never have the son he wanted. So he had Anne locked up in the Tower of London. On 19 May 1536 she was beheaded . Little Princess Elizabeth was sent to live with her sister Mary. Elizabeth never really knew her mother. But she kept a tiny picture of Anne Boleyn in a ring. A baby brother King Henry married Jane Seymour. In October 1537 Jane had a son. Henry was very happy. But Jane died soon after the birth. Elizabeth now had a brother, Prince Edward. One day he would be king. First Edward, then next in line for the throne was Mary. Elizabeth did not expect to be Queen. Henry's wives Henry VIII married Anne of Cleves in 1540. His fifth wife was Catherine Howard, in 1542.

In 1543, he married his sixth (and last) wife, Catherine Parr. Queen Catherine was kind to Elizabeth. King Henry hoped to marry Elizabeth off to a foreign prince when she was old enough. A clever girl Elizabeth had lessons with her governess , Kat Ashley. She and brother Edward also had tutors . Elizabeth was clever. She read books in Latin and English. She learned French and Italian. Henry VIII dies In 1547 Henry VIII died. Elizabeth's brother Edward became king. Until Edward was old enough to rule, noblemen helped him govern England. Edward Seymour became Lord Protector . Elizabeth lived in Chelsea with Catherine Parr. Catherine had now married Thomas Seymour, brother of the Lord Protector. Rivals for power England's nobles were rivals for power. They plotted and schemed. Thomas Seymour may have planned to marry the young princess Elizabeth, and perhaps become king himself. Catherine sent Elizabeth away to the country. In 1549 Thomas Seymour was arrested for treason and beheaded. In 1552 Edward Seymour was also executed. Elizabeth was lucky to escape. Edward VI and Mary I In 1553 Edward VI died. There were more plots. Lady Jane Grey was queen for nine days.

She too was executed. Elizabeth's sister Mary became queen. Mary was a Catholic . She decided to marry Philip of Spain, a Catholic prince. This upset many Protestants in England. Another lucky escape Sir Thomas Wyatt led a rebellion against Queen Mary. He failed, but Mary believed Elizabeth knew of his plan. Elizabeth was taken to the Tower of London. She was locked up for 8 weeks. After Wyatt was executed, she was set free. It was another lucky escape. Elizabeth is Queen Mary's reign was unhappy. Some Protestants were burned at the stake . The queen did not have the child she hoped for. Her husband went back to Spain. Mary I died in November 1558. Elizabeth was at Hatfield, in Hertfordshire. A fast rider brought the news. She was now queen. Queen of England A good start Elizabeth's coronation was in January 1559. People lit bonfires, and 'made merry' with parties. Elizabeth was red-haired like her father Henry VIII. When they saw her, people shouted out 'Remember old King Henry!'. Everyone hoped Elizabeth would be a good queen. Most wanted no more arguments about religion. They wanted peace. What kind of queen was she?

The Queen liked to get her own way. She had a quick temper. Yet she chose wise advisers to help her rule. William Cecil, Lord Burghley, gave her good advice for 40 years. In London, the Queen lived in fine palaces. Her court became the centre of fashion. She loved jewels, clothes, dancing and music. Touring the country Elizabeth travelled around England. She visited castles and great houses. With her went hundreds of servants, soldiers, ladies in waiting and gentlemen of the court. There were feasts , plays, jousting , dances and deer-hunts. A visit from the Queen cost a lot of money! Queen in danger The Catholic Church said Henry and Anne Boleyn had never been lawfully married. So Elizabeth wasn't England's Queen - Mary Queen of Scots was. This put Elizabeth in danger. She was the target for plots by enemies abroad and at home. Should the Queen marry? People wanted the Queen to marry. She must have children to be king or queen after her. Elizabeth was very cautious. A husband would expect to be king. Lots of husbands came forward including Philip of Spain, the Duke of Alencon and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.

She was very fond of Robert Dudley but she did not marry anyone. Plots, pirates and the Armada More plots In 1568 Mary Queen of Scots fled to England. Mary was a rival. So Elizabeth kept her a prisoner. Elizabeth and Mary never met. In 1569 Catholic nobles plotted to make Mary Queen of England. This plot failed, but there were others. Elizabeth's spy-chief, Francis Walsingham, was kept busy hunting down plotters. Plotters were caught, tortured and executed. Drake's voyage In 1580 Francis Drake sailed around the world. He returned in the ship Golden Hind. He had also attacked Spanish ships and stolen Spanish gold. The Spanish king was very angry. Elizabeth said she knew nothing about English 'pirates', but was pleased with her share of the gold. Mary loses her head In 1586 yet another plot was uncovered. It was led by Antony Babington, a young Catholic. The plotters were arrested. Letters were found. The letters seemed to link Mary Queen of Scots to the plot. In 1587 Mary was executed.

The Armada In 1588 King Philip of Spain sent the Armada to attack England. He hoped to remove Elizabeth as queen. Spanish and English ships fought battles in the English Channel. Both sides fought bravely. A terrible storm scattered the Spanish ships. Half never reached home. England celebrated a great victory. Elizabeth was safe. The Elizabethan age ends Royal pleasures During the Elizabethan age, London had its first theatres. From the 1590s, audiences packed The Globe theatre in London to see plays by William Shakespeare and other writers. Elizabeth enjoyed private shows. Shakespeare performed several times for the Queen. Losing old friends Elizabeth's last years were lonely. Old friends died. Robert Dudley died in 1588. William Cecil died in 1598. His son Robert became the Queen's chief adviser. Elizabeth's favourite at court was the young Earl of Essex. He was hot-headed. In 1601 he led a rebellion . Being the Queen's favourite did not save him. Essex was executed. Who will follow me? As the queen grew older, everyone wondered who would rule England after she died. Next in line was James VI of Scotland.

He was the son of Mary Queen of Scots. He was also related to Elizabeth. The queen dies Elizabeth I died on 24 March 1603, at her palace at Richmond. She was buried in Westminster Abbey beside her grandfather Henry VII. King James VI came from Scotland to become James I of England. The Stuarts had taken over from the Tudors . Elizabethan Court Life Buy Print Court was wherever the Queen happened to be and was made up of all those who surrounded the Queen from servants to the courtiers themselves. Once a year the Queen would go on a progress to the southern counties, but most of the time she resided in one of her great royal palaces: Whitehall, Hampton Court, Greenwich, Richmond, St James, Windsor Castle, and towards the end of her reign, Nonsuch. All these palaces were, in their different ways, magnificent to behold with high fanciful towers and a sea of spiralling chimneys. Whitehall was reputedly the largest palace in Europe, spanning an incredible 23 acres, and it was in this palace Elizabeth lived more than any other. Read more about The Queen's Palaces Over a thousand people generally attended court.

Therefore, the larger the palace, the easier it was to accommodate this number of people. But no matter which palace the Queen stayed in, it was still not possible to house everyone and many courtiers, ambassadors, or other people who wished to attend court had to lodge nearby. All these palaces were in or near London so finding suitable lodgings was not difficult. London was one of the biggest cities in Europe, having a population of 200,000 and growing, and offered everything that a visitor could want from travelling inns to shops to entertainment. However, being lodged at court was an honour and the Spanish Ambassador, Count de Feria, was not at all pleased that he had to lodge in city dwellings rather than at court as he had done in Mary I's reign. Elizabethan Maundy Wiki Commons The Queen would usually retire to Whitehall for Christmas and then move on to another palace, such as Richmond or Greenwich, before moving to Windsor for Easter and the Maundy ceremony. In this ceremony, Elizabeth would ceremoniously wash the feet of poor women (the same number as the Queen's age), sign their feet with a cross, and then kiss them.

The women would then be given presents of cloth, shoes, fish, bread, wine, and purses containing the same number of coins as the Queen's age. St George's Day was also celebrated at Windsor. It was important that the court moved after a few weeks as the palaces needed to be "aired and sweetened". Sewerage facilities were primitive so unless the palaces were cleaned after several weeks, it would become an unhygienic and unpleasant place to be. When the court was not in residence, the Palace would be cared for by a Keeper and resident staff and they were expected to have things ready so that the Queen and her court could arrive at a moment's notice. Windsor Castle, for example, was the strongest and best placed castle to offer the best defence should enemy forces invade the country, so it was imperative that the Queen and court could resort there immediately should an invasion occur. At her accession, the Queen inherited over sixty royal residences. Some Elizabeth occasionally frequented, but many were dilapidated. Others fell into ruin over the course of the reign as the cost of maintaining them was enormous. One solution was to bestow these residences on favoured courtiers.

Robert Dudley, in particular, did well in this regard, receiving, amongst others, Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire. Westminster Abbey » Elizabeth I Coronation Date: 15 Jan, 1559 Funeral Date: 28 Apr, 1603 Location in the Abbey: Lady chapel Type of memorial: Tomb Type of material: Marble Queen Elizabeth I was the daughter of King Henry VIII by Anne Boleyn and was born at Greenwich on 7 September 1533. She succeeded her half-sister Mary I in 1558. Queen Elizabeth was the foundress of the present Collegiate Church of St Peter (the formal title for the Abbey) in 1560 (by charter of 21 May) and her long reign was one of the most brilliant in English history. It is remembered for the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the execution of Mary Queen of Scots and for voyages of exploration and discovery. The colony of Virginia in America was named after the "Virgin Queen". Literature flourished in her reign with writers such as William Shakespeare and Edmund Spenser . Noted for her vanity and love of jewels and dancing she had many admirers but never married.

One of her "favourites" Sir Walter Raleigh is buried in St Margaret's Westminster and he is shown with the Queen in the stained glass in the west window there. Coronation She was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 15 January 1559 by Dr Oglethorpe, Bishop of Carlisle. The Archbishop of Canterbury usually performs this ceremony but the See was vacant at that time and the Archbishop of York had refused to take the service. The English language was used for the first time within the previously all Latin service. Burial Her death, at Richmond Palace, on 24 March 1603 was an occasion of universal mourning. For some days the body lay at Richmond and then was brought by barge to Whitehall Palace to lie in state. Thousands of people turned out to see her funeral procession to the Abbey on 28 April 1603 when there was "such a general sighing, groaning and weeping as the like hath not been seen or known in the memory of man". The coffin, covered in purple velvet, was borne on a chariot drawn by four grey horses with black trappers. The coloured wooden funeral effigy lay on top of the coffin.

Her body was encased in lead within the wooden coffin and first buried in the vault of her grandfather King Henry VII (underneath his monument) in the Abbey. Funeral effigy The original funeral effigy, by John Colt (brother of Maximilian), that had been carried on her hearse was remade in 1760 with a wax head and new outer clothes. The original, and unique, corset from the 1603 effigy still survives however and after recent conservation was displayed separately from the clothed effigy. In 1606 her coffin was moved to the north aisle of Henry VII's chapel and laid on top of the coffin of her half-sister Mary I under the monument which was erected for Elizabeth by her successor King James I. Monument The large white marble monument (less tall than the monument James later erected for his mother Mary, Queen of Scots in the opposite aisle of the chapel) was made by sculptor Maximilian Colt and painted by Jan de Critz. The recumbent effigy resembles portraits of the Queen in old age. The cost was £1485.

The gilded collar, with a representation of the "Burgundy" or "Three Brothers" pendant, was added in 1975 and made by Mrs H.Hughes. The crown (designed by Janet Arnold). the cross on the orb and the sceptre the Queen holds are also modern replacements, the originals having been stolen centuries ago. These were the gift of Mr Brian Court Mappin. The railing around the tomb (designed by J.Peter Foster in 1983) is another modern replacement for a lost original. Although the effigy is now just white marble a drawing found in Germany, dated 1618-20, shows the queen wearing an ermine lined crimson robe with a blue orb in her hand, a coloured dress and flesh colouring on her face. The four lions at each corner of the effigy were gilded. No trace of this colour now remains.

The Latin inscriptions can be translated: "Sacred to memory: Religion to its primitive purity restored, peace settled, money restored to its just value, domestic rebellion quelled, France relieved when involved with intestine divisions; the Netherlands supported; the Spanish Armada vanquished; Ireland almost lost by rebels, eased by routing the Spaniard; the revenues of both universities much enlarged by a Law of Provisions; and lastly, all England enriched. Elizabeth, a most prudent governor 45 years, a victorious and triumphant Queen, most strictly religious, most happy, by a calm and resigned death at her 70th year left her mortal remains, till by Christ's Word they shall rise to immortality, to be deposited in the Church [the Abbey], by her established and lastly founded. She died the 24th of March, Anno 1602 [this is Old Style dating, now called 1603], of her reign the 45th year, of her age the 70th. To the eternal memory of Elizabeth queen of England, France and Ireland, daughter of King Henry VIII, grand-daughter of King Henry VII, great-grand-daughter to King Edward IV.

Mother of her country, a nursing-mother to religion and all liberal sciences, skilled in many languages, adorned with excellent endowments both of body and mind, and excellent for princely virtues beyond her sex. James, king of Great Britain, France and Ireland, hath devoutly and justly erected this monument to her whose virtues and kingdoms he inherits." On the base of the monument: "Partners in throne and grave, here we sleep Elizabeth and Mary, sisters in [the] hope of the Resurrection". Tomb dimensions of the tomb in metres: 3 x 4.3 Essex Ring The so-called "Essex Ring" that the Queen is said to have given to one of her favourites, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, was presented to the Abbey by Ernest Makower in 1927. She had, as the story goes, given this to Essex saying that should he ever be in trouble he should return it to her and she would save him. This he endeavoured to do when under sentence of death but the ring fell into the hands of his enemies and never reached the Queen.

After Robert's execution in 1601 the ring was returned to his widow and descended from mother to daughter through the family until it was sold by the Thynne family in 1911. This is gold with a sardonyx cameo bust of the Queen, who wears an auburn wig. The inside is enamelled with blue flowers, probably forget me nots, on a gold ground. The ring was originally fixed on a mount on the side of the tomb but was later moved to the Abbey Museum. It appears to have been made for a female finger and to have been subsequently enlarged. Portrait of the Queen A portrait of the Queen hangs in the Dean's residence. This is dated 1595 and was given by Joseph Wilcocks, Dean of Westminster. The face was overpainted in the 18th century to make her look more youthful. Photographs of the tomb, funeral effigy, corset, portrait and ring can be purchased from Westminster Abbey Library: library@westminster-abbey.org The Abbey Museum is now closed but the effigy, corset and ring will be displayed in the new Jubilee Galleries due to open in 2018.

See also Martyrs of the Reformation entry on History-Famous People for the stone set in the floor beside Elizabeth and Mary's tomb. Further reading

Question: In which of her palaces did Queen Elizabeth the First die?
Answer: RICHMOND